Who’s learning to surf this summer?
Serious?? I don’t know if I can do that lol. I’ll give it a try though.
Oh and btw I’m on a 6"8 Super Fish. Not a beginner board I know, but it catches 2ft waves and I wanted something that I would still enjoy when I get better.
Although I’m really considering buying a nice big mini mal. It might be more fun for me considering the size of waves I usually surf.
I demoed a superfish that was much longer and I did better on that one. So I figure why not get a mini mal and just have some old school fun while I’m learning. Also having 2 boards means I can take a friend out with me, since I live on the central coast where everyone just poses as a “surf culture” but no one owns a board 
It’s not that you shouldn’t look at the wave at all it’s that you should have done all your positioning work prior to spinning around and paddling for the wave so there should be no reason to look behind you to see where it is or what it’s doing. Again this comes down to experience and time in the water allowing you to know best where to place yourself before you launch into the actual catching the wave paddling. Spaz is right, once you’re paddling for the wave you don’t want to have to look at it to know where it is.
Andy try going out and taking off on unbroken waves, make sure you can get into them everytime just prone and then experiment with picking corners and paddling with a little angle towards the corner so it sets you up to get in quick already heading in the general direction of the unbroken part of the wave or corner.
If you’re facing towards the shore and the waves unbroken corner is going towards the right, thats a righthand or right breaking wave and vice versa for one breaking left. If you’re paddling for a wave that looks like it will break right, try to position yourself so you can paddle with a slight angle towards the right rather than straight in towards the shore.
I wouldn’t look back at the wave the whole time, but I definitely glance back at it, or at least have it in my peripheral vision!!!!!
Definitely looking for the Shoulder of an unbroken wave is the key to “Reading” waves!!!!! This was the first thing that I taught my daughters!!!!! Even before paddling etc!!!!!
I’m slowly getting the hang of ready if a wave will break left or right and put myself in a good spot to hope go that way on the wave.
NBG when you say “prone” is that when you stay laying down but you just push your chest off the board with your arms (like a cat stretch)?
I definitely don’t look back after I start paddling, but maybe I wait to long before paddling. I like to see the wave and what it’s going to do. If I went for 20 paddles before the wave I would be absolutely sharting myself wait for the wave to come and smash me.
How many paddles do you guys generally do before getting up?
Thanks for al the advice guys I appreciate it.
BTW what’s up with the surf right now?!!!
Umina is 5-8 ft! WTF??
It’s slowly tapering down through the week so I’m going to go out the next 2 days and to learn how to surf like a man… or possible die. One of the 2.
Andy sometimes it can be two paddles other times it can be 20, it really depends on the type of wave and where you have positioned yourself in relation to where it will break and what you’re hoping to do on the wave. On a smaller wave it’s a lot easier if you kinda run it down paddling and get into it earlier, late take offs on smaller waves especially for larger guys means you’re going to have a shit wave generally speaking.
By prone I mean lying down, the cat stretch arch you’re talking about is a variation of that and a good tool when riding a wave prone as it allows you to utilise more weight on the rails to change direction if you’re riding the wave prone.
When you paddle with a slight angle in the direction of the shoulder of the wave it allows you to be able to look down the line a little more at what’s going on.
Most times I will have positioned myself so that I can spin around seated right in the trough or flats in front of wave I want. For the spin you use your legs and an egg beater style kick, you’ll need to practice this as well unless you’ve played water polo, generally a couple of kicks and one swipe stroke from your arm should have you totally turned 180. Still seated I sit right back on the board burying it in the lower part of the wave.
You will feel the point at which you can sink it no lower and then as the positive buoyancy starts to push the board back to the surface you go from seated to prone with a powerful breast stroke kick added in and start paddling for the wave. Do this right and you may only need 3-4 strokes to get into the wave, sometimes two but it depends on the wave.
Practice the above in flat water as well, imagine yourself paddling into position and then spin and do as above, try it even on waves you can’t catch but it will still give you an idea of the timing.
The swell has dropped off a bit today, you should have a crack further up the beach nearer to Ettalong, should be pretty manageable there. I’m about to have a quick wave myself.
It was only 21 degrees today so I didn’t go out (cause I don’t have a wetsuit). But tomorrow I’m going out for sure, so I’ll have a crack at putting all this info you guys have given me into practice.
I surfed in boardies yesterday and it was great. You will find that after a southerly wind event the water is warmer and after a NE wind it gets decidedly colder over the summer months.
Went for a surf yesterday. The waves were a bit challenging. Very dumpy rather than left or right waves and kinda choppy. Still that’s all just part of the game right?
I didn’t have many good rides, but I did experiment with paddling in different ways and I’m becoming more comfy sitting on my board and then turning and paddling for the waves.
It was kind of frustrating when the waves just dumped all the time.
But the plus side is I reckon I have my turtle rolls down well now. So I feel like I can deal with bigger surf a lot better now.
I think just lots of days in the water are needed from this point onwards for a while. I have lots of things to learn properly before moving on.
Surfing in poor conditions makes surfing on better days sooooo much easier.
Basically get go surfing in all and any conditions and it will improve your abilities in any conditions. Ideally SURF EVERYDAY, evin when there’s no swell - AND GET A WETSUIT they help with buoyancy and paddling!
AND GET A WETSUIT they help with buoyancy and paddling!
Really? I didn’t know that!
I get buoyancy but how does it help paddling?
Taking my new mini mal out tomorrow! So excited to see how it rides!
I’m a little lost as to what Spaz means re paddling as well? I currently have one of the most flexible 2mm short arm steamers on the market and I would still much prefer wearing just boardies when it comes to paddling.
I was actually up your way last Friday Andy, jumped on a mates boat and surfed Box Head for 3 hours. You should get yourself a full mal and head out there, such long waves would really help with your surfing, especially learning out there on a mal. I was just riding one of my my fatter boards and had an absolute ball out there. I got one of my longer waves from the outside take off zone, rode it for probably 300m or so and my legs were totally burning. A mate was on the next wave and pulled off next to me and we started paddling back out when a big wide set came through, I just looked at him and was like I havta go. Took off and rode it so far it was ridiculous, I wasn’t far from the beach when it finished, my legs were so full of lactic acid I couldn’t turn for the last 50m or so I just stood there enjoying the ride.
Took me over 25mins of non stop paddling just to get back out but was so worth it.
surfed Box Head for 3 hours.
What was he like?
sorry, couldnt help myself 
surfed Box Head for 3 hours.
What was he like?
I reckon he woulda been Crankin!!!!!
I couldn’t help myself either!!!!!
And yeah, not sure how a wetty makes for easier paddlin either?????
How is ya new 2/2 West Wetty, NBG?????